About the Academy

Dedicated to improving the practice, elevating the standards and advancing the cause of environmental engineering.

MISSION

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers is dedicated to excellence in the practice of environmental engineering to ensure the public health, safety, and welfare to enable humankind to co-exist in harmony with nature.

A Brief History

Who Is The Academy

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers is a group of highly qualified professional engineers who have imposed self-testing and review for entry qualification. Each Board Certified Environmental Engineer or Board Certified Environmental Engineering Member, have not only the standard prerequisites for specialty certification, but also has passed written and oral examinations and reviews by an admission panel of the Academy. The Academy's certification program is accredited by the Council of Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards.

The Academy is an active participant in the accreditation of environmental engineering curricula. Through this process, the Academy ensures that educational standards are responsive to the needs of the professional and that tomorrow's engineers will meet the needs of the profession.

The Academy further organizes multi-disciplinary teams of BCEEs and BCEEMs to participate in concept study groups. These groups seek solutions to major environmental problems. Once developed, the Academy provides these solutions to key policy makers in industry and government.

History

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers® was founded in 1955 for the principal purpose of serving the public by improving the practice, elevating the standards, and advancing public recognition of environmental engineering through a program of specialty certification of qualified engineers.

The genesis of the Academy began in 1952 with a few dedicated professional sanitary engineers working in the public health and defense communities. Their concerns were addressed to the Committee for the Advancement of Sanitary Engineering of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Subsequent events led to the formation of the Joint Committee for the Advancement of Sanitary Engineering which was composed of the ASCE, American Public Health Association, American Society for Engineering Education, American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation. With the sponsorship and support of these five organizations, the American Engineering Intersociety Board was created in 1955.

The American Sanitary Engineering Intersociety Board, the predecessor of the Academy, was officially incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware on October 21, 1955. So as not to compete with other associations or societies, it was provided that certified sanitary engineers would be identified as Diplomates (now known as Board Certified Environmental Engineers) of the American Academy of Sanitary Engineers yet be free to retain their memberships in other societies. The Board was responsible for annually preparing a Roster of current BCEEs and BCEEMs listing the names of each and the specialty(ies), recognized by the Board, in which they were certified. Other organizations joining as sponsors included the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1957 and the Air Pollution Control Association in 1962.

In 1966 the Articles of Incorporation were amended to change the name of the Board to the "Environmental Engineering Intersociety Board" (EEIB) and the name of the Roster from the "American Academy of Sanitary Engineers" to the "American Academy of Environmental Engineers" (AAEE). A year later, in 1967, the Board of Trustees changed the American Academy of Environmental Engineers from just a Roster of certified engineers to an organization with its own rights, bylaws and officers. This new organization was charged with working cooperatively with the EEIB in the advancement of all aspects of environmental engineering. The American Public Works Association joined as a sponsor of these organizations in 1969.

The AAEE and the EEIB were merged into one organization in 1973. Since that time all the objectives of both predecessor organizations have been carried out by the American Academy of Environmental Engineers®. In 1976 the National Society of Professional Engineers became a sponsor of the Academy and it was followed by the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors in 1977, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in 1981 and the Solid Waste Association of North America in 1988.

Service to the Public and to the Profession

As a Recognized Authority on Licensure and Specialty Certification

Serving the Public

As with most professions, the interests of the public and individual professions are inextricably intertwined in the delivery of environmental engineering service. Quality professionals ensure better conditions for the public. Yet, in an increasingly complex technological world, it is difficult for the lay public to identify those who possess the special expertise required to successfully address specific problems.

The Academy publishes the Environmental Engineering Selection & Career Guide, an annual directory that provides guidance to those seeking environmental experts for consulting assignments or pursuing college level education. About 10,000 free copies are distributed to the public each year.

The Academy's specialty certification program simplifies this challenge. It establishes the specific environmental engineering expertise of licensed professional engineers (Board Certified Environmental Engineers and Board Certified Environmental Engineering Members) through peer evaluation and examination. A resume of each person posessing a valid certificate is published annually in Who's Who in Environmental Engineering.

The Academy counsels hundreds of students and prospective students who are motivated by the environmental ethic and are interested in an environmental engineering career. This counseling provides an accurate assessment of the entry requirements and opportunities in the profession and identifies areas of study.

The Academy publishes in-depth reports and books on environmental issues and topics which advance the state of the art of environmental engineering practice. Its members and staff regularly consult with government leaders regarding policies affecting environmental quality and the practice of environmental engineering.

Serving the Profession

The Academy provides benefits to the engineering profession and to engineers granted specialty certification.

As a recognized authority on licensure and specialty certification, the Academy counsels state legislatures and federal agencies on the proper application of engineering credentials, thus ensuring that the profession's interests are protected.

The Academy recognizes quality environmental engineering practice and informs the public of how it benefits from such practice.

Advancing the Quality of Environmental Engineering Education

The lead society for environmental engineering education program accreditation

Curricula Accreditation

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers is the lead society for environmental engineering education program accreditation. It is a full partner in the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which accredits all engineering curricula. Setting and enforcing program guidelines ensures that persons attending accredited programs receive an education consistent with the needs of the profession.

Education Needs

Defining the ever-changing needs of environmental engineering education is accomplished by the Academy in partnership with the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors. Periodically, the two organizations conduct a workshop for educators and practitioners to forecast future environmental engineering education needs and develop guidance for curricula content.

Kappe Lecture

Environmental engineering requires both formal course work and practical experience. The Academy's annual Kappe Lecture Series brings a recognized environmental engineering practitioner to university campuses across the United States. This professional is selected from the cadre of the Academy's Board Certified Environmental Engineers and Board Certified Environmental Engineering Members. During two-day campus visits, the practitioner presents formal lectures and engages in informal discussions with undergraduate and graduate students to supplement their training with real-world, up-to-date information about the practice of environmental engineering.

Tau Chi Alpha

The objective of TXA is to advance the environmental engineering profession by identifying and placing a mark of distinction on those environmental engineering students and engineers who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement, ethical character, practicality, and sociability or significant achievement in environmental engineering profession. For more information, email
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